R.T. Rybak looks back at his last year as Minneapolis mayor

After 12 years in office, R.T. Rybak will step aside as mayor of Minneapolis next week.

He defeated a two-term incumbent for the job in 2002 and was re-elected twice with huge majorities. His consistent popularity may come less from his legacy of balancing budgets, promoting arts and perking up development downtown than from his reputation as a tireless cheerleader for the city.

Once Rybak hands the reigns to City Councilwoman Betsy Hodges on January 2, 2014, he'll turn his attention to closing the educational achievement gap between white and minority children as executive director of GenerationNext.

Rybak spoke with MPR News' Cathy Wurzer about his last year in office and what he's looking forward to in 2014.